Dalric couldn’t have expected anything else. All of the clues were there. Ryku had even put enough together to help him out when he needed it. The question was never if he knew, the question was what was Dalric was going to do about it.

Time to leave.

Is what he thought, but he couldn’t. He’d just discovered his path to finally, truly ridding himself of the Gods' vile contract. That was everything to him. He had too much to do to just disappear back into the jungle. Even if he headed for Taiyo, unlike his Hellgurian, which allowed him to roughly communicate with Salians, his Surunese was extremely poor. With new accents or grammatical conventions, it was entirely possible he wouldn’t even be able to understand anything he heard or read. He couldn’t leave.

If he wasn’t leaving that meant he had to figure out how to navigate Ryku’s awareness. Not even a blink of pondering and Dalric frowned at the thoughts that came to mind. The best option was the most obvious one. It was also the one he wanted to avoid.

Before he got there, he needed to see what Ryku’s perspective was, “So you lied to them?”

“No. That’s what I believe, but I don’t know if I’m right.”

A wise response.

“Of course... So why did you lie?”

“I—you...b—.” Ryku took a deep breath, “Having that many pieces affecting you at once was killing you. I needed to take them out, but I didn’t know if you were in control of yourself or not. If you weren’t and I was alone, I don’t believe I’d be alive right now. I needed their help, but to get it I needed to give them a suitable explanation for why. I didn’t want to overspeak so I went with the closest thing to the truth available.”

That is… good.

Dalric already knew Ryku was competent, that much was beyond clear. The man had a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and a sharp mind. Loyalty was a question that only time could truly satisfy, but his actions and thought process were… perfect. He could have neither complaints nor concerns.

In all fairness, that had been the case since they met. Even before he knew of Dalric’s situation, Ryku had been a consistent positive. Including last night? It could not be understated how valuable his presence has been.

Still, Dalric would poke further, “You did well.” He extended his arm out then rolled his wrist. Every piece of the movement felt like grinding stones, “Killing me may be an exaggeration, but this does not feel pleasant.”

Ryku only relaxed a little in his chair, “They would have killed a regular person by now. Three of them could completely halt someone’s metabolism. Six is…”

“Far from enough.” He continued to flex and contract different muscles, “Though your fear is understandable. In contrast to last night, where you seemed fearless?”

“I… would not say so.”

“A lesser man would have run.” Dalric didn’t even want to think about what the result would have been if he did. What he’d have lost.

Ryku appeared to both relax and tense at the same time, “You seemed to need help. After saving me, how could I just run?”

Another point in his favor. Though an unconfirmed one.

“My needs? Not your ill-fated desire for a teacher?”

Finally the tension in his shoulders released. He even smirked, “I don’t believe in fate, I believe in hard work and consistency.”

Dalric nodded, “Those will serve you well, but they don’t serve as answers to my questions.”

“Hmph. Regardless of my ambition, or even your status as my savior, I would have always stayed to help if I believed I was capable of doing so. I did not become a Paragon by chance.”

Dalric nodded again, internally that time. He’d forgotten about the particulars of the Paragon organization. While he was certain there were many who joined and progressed through the ranks for entirely selfish motives, their mission focus would undoubtedly attract the more altruistic minded. Everything he’d seen of Ryku pointed to him being one such member.

Hm…

All together, the simple conclusion of what he’d experienced so far was that Ryku would make for a very capable right hand. Dalric didn’t want a flesh and blood right hand, but… maybe he was wrong not to. No, he was definitely wrong not to

Dalric sighed

He knew his reluctance did not come from a place of reason. Trust was not something he struggled so fiercely to place in others. His previous indestructible nature aside, his secrets were rarely things that could be used against him. Even now, what harm could Ryku have caused him with his awareness? What betrayal was he protecting himself from? None. That wasn’t where the issue truly laid. All his prodding had simply been a dance.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The truth he had to accept was that he was simply afraid of having someone close to him again. The blood of millions had stained his hands, the vast majority were strangers, but a few were friends. He could still see their faces.

He thanked the headache for being too pulsating for more than a brief memory to materialize.

His fear aside, Dalric had no justifiable reason to turn Ryku away. Even if he ignored everything the man had done for him and all the ways he could be valuable in the present, the mere fact that he could get him closer to understanding and ultimately creating his own Devil Glass was far more valuable than anything he could lose by letting the man walk beside him.

Ryku’s life included

Dalric physically frowned at that. True as it was in utilitarian terms, he refused to accept it so plainly.

“Is… something wrong?”

He quickly fixed his face as he noticed Ryku had grown anxious again, “Most certainly.”

“What’s the problem? Is it..?”

“No, just the ramifications of those sixteen hours.” Alongside every other muscle in his body, his gut ached, “Next time you can remove them after two hours. Or I suppose three to be safe.”

“Next time... Why two hours, if I may ask?”

Dalric moved to the side of the bed and placed his notably unsteady legs on the ground, “That’s the time limit.”

Ryku stood up to help him to his feet, “Time limit?”

“Don’t worry about the details just yet.”

With their size difference, Ryku shouldn’t have been much help, but the man had much more strength than his frame would imply. He managed to brunt the majority of the load as he pulled Dalric upright. Dalric wasn’t helpless though, after a few shaky steps he found his footing.

“It is a bit difficult to not worry.”

“We can talk later. Which door is the bathroom?” Ryku pointed it out and Dalric immediately wobbled towards it, “I’ll be in here for a while. Come back in four hours or so.”

Ryku hesitated to leave, “Will everything be… alright in the meantime?”

“In the bathroom, most certainly not.”

“That’s not—” He chuckled as he shook his head, “I’ll return in four hours.”

As Dalric swung the bathroom door closed, he corrected himself, “Make it five.”

While Ryku made his exit, Dalric took an awkward seat and prepared for the worse. It had been centuries since he used a toilet. Past a certain tier as an ahjerist, food becomes superfluous. During the process of elevating your access to and mastery of ahjer, the body was broken down and rebuilt with it as its only fuel. It was a slow process, but toward the latter parts of Dalric’s life, his body had stopped digesting food entirely. His stomach served to disintegrate whatever he consumed and assimilate it as ahjer and mass. He didn’t have intestines.

As such, the sheer weight of what left his body was somewhat alarming.

Two hours later. He wobbled back out of the bathroom. An all new pain had been added to the list, but given the time that had passed and the healing that occurred, they were all collectively on the lower end of the scale now. Background pains. They’d keep him rooted in place for a while, but his mind was not quite as encumbered. He had some processing to do.

The desk was in the library, not the bedroom, and Dalric had no interest in wobbling that distance so he just sat on a carpet on the floor. There were lounge chairs in the room, but while the bed had been large enough to hold his full frame, they were not. He’d spent enough hours on a way–too–small–for–him seat for the day.

Once settled, his mind returned to the opportunity and risk that Ryku represented. Or more accurately, how he planned on juggling them.

He would take the man on. That was no longer a question. Now, it was a matter of 'how'. It would not be as a student or servant or disciple or whatever custom they had here. That's not what Dalric sought, not what would be best. That said, Ryku had his own desires. There was path to satisfying both, it simply required that Ryku followed giant customs. Simply, but not simple. For one, he would almost definitely have to reveal his past. If not the full details, the fact he was a giant would inevitably be shared. That came with a certain degree of danger.

Dalric the Deathseeker, or likely more commonly known, The Black Maelstrom, was a globally recognized figure. His campaigns against the various Gods projected his name to the world. His rampages thereafter brought it hate, vitriol and infamy. He’d already introduced himself as Dalric and summoned the tell tale lightning of Thunderfield. Even though a millennium might have passed and much history seemed to be lost, it would be foolish of him to think there was no one who remembered him.

Even more foolish to think there was no one who harbored ill-will toward him.

As such, he had to be careful with how much information he shared and at what times. He had to be sure there wouldn't be leaks. For both of their sakes. That meant he needed to build a stronger bond with Ryku first. As terrifying as getting close to someone felt for him at present, it was a hurdle he simply had to cross. With the Devil Glass, even in their current form, he had the ability to manage the dangers. In fact, having someone else around helped him limit the danger far more than he could alone. The potential for a mistake or error was ever-present, but if Dalric wished to reap the most rewards from his dealings with Ryku while being just with his returns then it was inescapable. Ryku didn't just offer Dalric the possibility of acquiring freedom, he offered him the opportunity to reclaim the parts of himself he’d long cut off. He offered Dalric personhood.

It was why, his own personality notwithstanding, he wouldn’t take the man as a lesser to him. It was also why he had to do his best to mitigate risk factors.

Beyond building the bond, he also needed to get a gauge on just how much was still known about him. Of course, any being that was present during Dalric’s time as a giant would currently be far above his strength, but did the Sara Hangakus and the Akira Taiyos and the Basilio Leos of the time have any information on him? Now that there were ‘no Gods’, what would the feelings around him even be? Those were things he’d have to find out before he fully committed to this path.

Speaking of the Gods though.

How had they returned so quick?

That question had never truly been absent from his mind. From the moment he opened his eyes and his head pulsed and his muscles creaked, that question found space in his head to bounce around. Now that he’d settled on his future with Ryku and his aches had reduced, it centered itself at the forefront.

Almost as soon as it did, Dalric’s eyebrows rose. The answer suddenly came to him.